An estimated one in four people live with aviophobia - the fear of flying. Photo / Getty Images
An estimated one in four people live with aviophobia - the fear of flying. Photo / Getty Images
Though she never quite knew what worried her most about flying, her fear got more and more intense as time went on.
She managed to get on a plane from the UK to Australia, when she moved here permanently, but after a particularly anguishing trip back about five years ago, Ms Ballas said she was done with planes for good.
"I think those long-haul flights really set me up with anxiety about being in the air for so long and not being able to control it, and it was one of those impossible situations where the thought of it just made me sick," she told news.com.au.
"That last flight I took, five years ago, was just horrendous. It was heightened fear for the whole 14-hour first leg of the flight. For 14 hours I was clutching my husband's hand for dear life and I couldn't breathe. It didn't go away for that flight.
"And that's when I got off the plane in Sydney and I said I am not doing that again, ever."
And for the next five years, she didn't. She missed out on family holidays overseas, and had to spend days travelling interstate by road, just so she wouldn't have to fly.
But then a sickening new worry dawned on Ms Ballas: as her parents back in the UK got older, she realised that she probably would never see them again.
And she had to address one fear so she could alleviate the other.
"I started to get really anxious if anything happened to my mum, or my dad, or anybody over there. Not only would I be dealing with grief or trauma of whatever was happening but I would also have to contend with the flight, and I probably wouldn't," she said.
"And I thought if I didn't deal with this, I would never even go to the funeral of my most precious family members because I didn't know if I could deal with the flight."
Ms Ballas sought help from the Flight Experience Sydney, which runs courses to help people overcome aviophobia — the fear of flying — which an estimated one in four people live with.
As part of the course, Ms Ballas had cognitive behavioural therapy sessions with a psychologist, who helped her understand her flying anxiety and learn how to overcome it.
She also spent a few hours learning about planes and how they flew, and then she had a go in a flight simulator with a pilot and the psychologist.
"The technical side of it was fascinating, learning about aerodynamics and the engineering and the stringent, stringent process of flying and what happens before, during and after," she said.
"It almost seems impossible for a plane to go down, expect for human error and that's just so, so rare.
"I learnt that self-talk was key, and I learnt breathing techniques to calm my body down and change the messages running though my in my head."
Ms Ballas said the therapy also helped her cope with other anxieties she had, including fears of tunnels and elevators, which wasn't uncommon for people with a fear of flying.
She's since taken a trip to the UK and plans to return next month.
"The biggest thing was getting to a point where I wasn't sick in my stomach for months and in the lead-up to the flight," she said.
"I was OK until the flight, and the flight was tricky, but it wasn't as bad as it had been.
When there was turbulence, I just breathed through it. And when we got to the UK we flew to Portugal, which is something I hadn't done in 20 years."
Ben Evans, the co-owner of Flight Experience Sydney, said fear of flying could be caused by a single influence, such as a really traumatic flight experience, or a combination of factors such as anxiety and loss of control.
And turbulence was one thing many flyers were most worried about.
"What most people don't realise is that turbulence during flights is actually avoided more for comfort rather than safety," Mr Evans said.
"Turbulence is like waves of air that an aircraft passes through, similar to riding a boat on choppy water. Aircraft are designed to withstand severe turbulence and multiple simultaneous lighting strikes.
"All major aircraft systems are also built with at least two back-up systems."
Passengers who struggled with feeling like they had no control during a flight may also take comfort to be reminded of the expertise of the crew in the cockpit.
"Passengers also have nothing to worry about when it comes to the professional experience of pilots," Mr Evans said.
"Airline captains typically have well over 4000 hours of flying experience and they are audited every four to six months in order to keep their licence."
TIPS FOR NERVOUS FLYERS
There are a few things passengers could try to get them through a difficult flight. Photo / Getty Images
Mr Evans said there were a few things passengers could try to get them through a difficult flight.
"As anxiety increases, your breathing may get shallow," he said. "Learn to control your breathing and even try a meditative breathing exercise to relax.
"When you're in the boarding area of the airport or sitting on the plane, close your eyes and start breathing slowly and deeply in for four counts and out for eight counts.
"Focus on expanding your lungs and stomach to feel the full effects of deep breathing.
Focused, deep breathing is an instant stress reliever. To increase focus, listen to white noise or nature sounds to help block out the hassle of passengers around you and the ambient noise of the plane."
"Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) requires more time than deep breathing but its effect can be quite powerful," he said.
"During PMR you will feel tense but you will also relax small groups of muscles, one by one. The process will teach you to recognise what tension feels like and practice releasing that tension from your muscles.
"During the flight, sit in a comfortable position. Beginning with your feet, notice how your muscles feel. Tightly tense the muscles in your feet by curling your toes and hold that tension for five to 10 seconds. Then release the tension from your feet and let them loosen up. Notice the difference between the two.
"Repeat the cycle of tensing and relaxing each group of muscles, practising on the following groups of muscles including legs, pelvis, stomach, chest, back, arms, hands, neck and face."
Skip alcohol and caffeine
You might think alcohol will calm your nerves but don't give into the temptation, Mr Evans said.
"Even though it might be fun to fly with a buzz, it is easy to overdo when you are already a bit nervous," he said.
"For those prone to panic attacks, they should skip caffeine on days they are flying.
Caffeine increases the heart rate, making it more likely that you will have a panic attack when faced with a situation that already makes you anxious."
Mr Evans suggested camomile tea, which relaxes the body.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Mr Evans said cognitive behavioural therapy was a form of desensitisation or exposure therapy. "It is a way of dealing with negative feelings," he said.
"Essentially it's not events that upset you, but the meaning that you give to those events. It's important to change the way you think about the things that make you fearful."
He said while it was more easily said than done, it was possible to learn how to identify and challenge negative thoughts with realistic ones.
"Some questions that you can ask yourself include what evidence do I have for and against my thoughts? Is there another way to think about this situation? Is the way I'm thinking helpful?" he said.
"Eventually your unrealistic thoughts will be replaced by accurate thoughts, leading you to feel less fearful."
Stay focused, but not vigilant
"Don't distract yourself from the flying experience, but rather take it in and remind yourself about the safety of the environment you are in," Mr Evans said.
"You could even engage in the enjoyable components such as in-flight entertainment and refreshments.
"Remember that every flight provides you with the opportunity to make the next one easier. Your goal is to retrain your brain to become less sensitised to the triggers that set you off."
